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Unwelcome guest: C. albicans changes your pH to suit its needs

Candida albicans can make a home for itself almost anywhere on or in the human body, and the range of pH the pathogen can cope with is impressive. Whether it’s in the highly acidic stomach, where the pH gets down to around 2, or the mildly acidic skin or vagina, or the pH neutral environment of the bloodstream, C. albicans somehow manages to get along. But how? C. albicans is both the most common fungal commensal of humans and the most important fungal
pathogen of humans, so getting to the bottom of this could help a lot of people.

A study out in mBio this week reveals how C. albicans survives and thrives in these diverse circumstances: like many other fungi, it can release ammonia into its environment as needed, very rapidly raising the pH to a comfy level for itself.
Click on the "source" link above to read more on mBio's blog, mBiosphere...